Willard Owen Chenoweth, 81, a resident of Elkins, passed away at 1:02 a.m. Saturday, June 1, 2002, in Davis Memorial Hospital emergency department. Death was attributed to congestive heart failure.
He was born Oct. 17, 1920, at Elkins, a son of the late Beebe and Hattie McQuain Chenoweth.
In June, 1943, he was married to the former Betty Jo Rowe, who preceded him in death in 1945. In February, 1946, he married Adeline Agnes Smith and in March, 1987, he married Geraldine Tacy, who survives.
Also surviving are his children, Willard Joe and Pam Chenoweth of Parsons, Allen Chenoweth, Gary and Marsha Chenoweth, Mike and Sue Chenoweth, Jeff and Julie Chenoweth and Terry Chenoweth, all of Elkins, Kevin and Leslie Chenoweth of Wheeling, Cathy Sue Wingler of Buckhannon, Nancy and Elmer Rogers of Elkins, Frances Cook of Ohio, Dempsey Tacy of Elkins, Jim and Donna Tacy of Texas, Michael and Peggy Tacy of Huttonsville, Terry Tacy of South Dakota and Richard and Martha Tacy of Wyoming; 34 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by three brothers, five sisters and two grandchildren.
Mr. Chenoweth attended the schools of Randolph County and was a 1938 graduate of Elkins High School. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He played semi-professional baseball as a pitcher for Elkins between 1946 and 1955 in the Mountain State Baseball League. He was employed at Elkins Tannery, Western Maryland Railroad and H.B. Moore. He was an electrician by trade and in 1959 he went to work as the supervisor of maintenance at Davis & Elkins College, where he retired in 1995. He was a life member of H.W. Daniels Post 29, American Legion. He was a former member and first assistant firechief of the Leading Creek Volunteer Fire Department and a Methodist by faith.
Friends may call from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. today at Tomblyn Funeral Home in Elkins. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday from the funeral home chapel with Pastor David Collins officiating. Interment will follow in the American Legion’s Little Arlington Cemetery at Elkins, where full military rites will be accorded by members of H.W. Daniels Post No. 29, American Legion and Tygart Valley Post 3647 Veterans of Foreign Wars. In lieu of flowers, the family request that memorial contributions be made to Davis & Elkins College Baseball Program, 100, Campus Drive, Elkins, W.Va. 26241 or Hospice Care Corp., 629 North Ave., Elkins, W.Va. 26241.
